Trend Spotting for 2013: Polka Dots

See what I did there? In fashion and in interiors, polka dots (and spots) are everywhere. They're graphic and bold and eye-catching and playful — just the thing to perk up a pillow (or a whole wall).

A little bit of polka dots will work even in a fairly staid interior, as in image 14. If you're planning on using a lot of spots or polka dots, keep the color palette in the room fairly simple to keep things from getting too overwhelming (as in the office in image 4, or the emerald and black and white stair hall shown above). Or go bold and pair polka dots with other prints for a pattern on pattern look.

FIRST ROW:1. Polka dots as art, with a colorful table, as seen in Vogue. 2. Oversized foil dots in a nursery from Design*Sponge. 3. Gold polka-dots add a subtle graphic touch to the back of a bookcase, as seen in Lonny. 4. A dalmation-spotted wallpaper is glam with a gold accents in this office from Paloma 81. 5. Irrregularly spaced polka dots (actually tiny hexagons, if you look closely enough) are modern and playful, especially grouped with other graphic patterns. Bed linens and image by OYOY.

SECOND ROW:6. Spotted pillows add a bit of graphic punch to this girly dressing room from Design Manifest. 7. Spots in a black and white mix from Lonny. 8. Polka dots add a playful touch to a rustic interior from Canadian House & Home. 9. White dots on a black background is a reverse of the expected. Planete Deco via The Bowerbirds. 10. Polka dots liven up a chair in this interior from Elle Decor France via CitySage.

THIRD ROW:11. A mix of polka dots in various sizes and spacings with toile and gingham in this bedroom from Country Living. 12. & 13. I love the modern, spare look of these spaced-out polka dots. Images via Emmas Designblogg. 14. A polka-dotted lamp livens up a well-behaved room from Interiors Digital. 15. In this boisterous mix of patterns, the watercolor dot art at the head of the bed actually has a calming influence. Image from Lonny.